fun of their young sister who was always busy reading good books. As every one knew how rich these young women were, many wealthy merchants wished to marry them. The older ones always replied that they never would marry any one who was lower in rank than a duke, or a count at least. But Little Beauty thanked the men who wished to marry her, and said that she was very young and that she wished to stay at home with her father for a number of years.'

PERRAULT, Beauty and the Beast

CRITICISM AND REWRITING OF A COMPOSITION

141. The theme given below was written by a pupil, and it has a number of such mistakes as boys and girls are likely to make. Criticize it in as many particulars as possible, and afterwards rewrite it. "All that was needed to complete a grand thanksgiving dinner was chestnuts. Dora had made up her mind that it would not be thanksgiving without them. There was no use for not having them for just a short distance away from the house was a large spreading chestnut tree which was loaded. Dora's mother had tried to explained that boys were too busy gathering pumpkins and and shelling corn and that father was in town, but that before milking time they would get her more chestnuts that she could eat in a week. It seemed to Dora that milking time would never come and she sat down in a chair feeling tired and cross just stopping long enough to look back and see that mother was not near. Over the field she went, stumbling and falling but never stopping to rest. At last the tree was in sight and with glee she climbed the last fence but oh, what was the matter with her ankle. She sat down on the grass, the tears gathering in her eyes as she looked

back at the little cottage. She could never get home and the next day was thanksgiving. With a cry she covered her face with her hands and wept bitterly. All of a sudden she opened her eyes and found her father, mother and her brothers all gathered around her and all laughing, while beside her was an immense dish of chestnuts. It was a dream and with a cry of joy and many a hearty laugh she promised to tell them all on thanksgiving while sitting by the fire and eating chestnuts, of that dreadful, dreadful dream."

This is a good place to tell Thanksgiving and other holiday experiences before the class, and to write them if they prove interesting. Your work should be better than the composition you have just read.

APPOSITIVES

142. Read the following sentences carefully:

I. "Nell . . . read aloud, in enormous black letters, the inscription, 'Jarley's Wax-Works.'

2. "The first of our society is a gentleman of Worcestershire, of ancient descent, a baronet, his name Sir Roger de Coverley."

3. "The person of next consideration is Sir Andrew Freeport, a merchant of great eminence in the city of London."

4. "We have among us Will Honeycomb, a gentleman who, according to his years, should be in the decline of his life."

5. "A jaunty looking person, who had come in with the young fellow they call John,- evidently a stranger,said there was one more wise man's saying that he had heard."

Each of these sentences contains what is called an appositive. Thus in the first sentence, "Jarley's Wax-Works" is an example. An appositive is a word or group of words that means the same as another word and is not joined to that word by a linking verb. Since "Jarley's Wax-Works" means the same as "inscription" in this sentence, and is not joined to it by a linking verb, it is said to be in apposition with, or an appositive of, "inscription." But if the sentence read The inscription was "Jarley's Wax-Works," "Jarley's Wax-Works" would be a predicate group of words. You must be careful about this matter, for it is one in which students of grammar sometimes make mistakes. To use another illustration, in Mr. Wilson, the president of the United States, was formerly governor of New Jersey, "the president of the United States" is in apposition with "Mr. Wilson"; but if the sentence read Mr. Wilson is president of the United States, "president of the United States" would be a predicate group of words, since it is joined to "Mr. Wilson" by the linking verb "is."

The appositive is usually near the word or group of words with which it is in apposition. In fact, appositive means placed near. But in some cases it is rather far away, as in two of the example sentences given above.

Study all the sentences carefully and determine what the appositives are.

143. Appositives are usually set off by commas, but not always. For example, the sentence about

President Wilson has an appositive construction that is set off by commas. But there is a Mr. Wilson who is a member of the cabinet; and if any one had occasion to say of him, Mr. Wilson the cabinet officer has gone to New York, it would not be correct to set off the appositive by commas, because the appositive here distinguishes the cabinet officer from the president and we do not pause when reading the sentence. That is, if the appositive enables you to tell which one of two or more persons or things is meant, the commas are not used.

144. Write some sentences containing appositives. Be careful about the punctuation.

NOMINATIVE OF ADDRESS

145. Read the following sentences:

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I. 'I bless thee for it, Nell!'"

2.

"For what, dear grandfather?'"

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3. 'Now, my men,' said the single gentleman, 'you have done very well.'

4. "I fear thee, ancient Mariner!'"

5.

"Be calm, thou Wedding-Guest!'

6. "No, sir,' I said, 'you need not trouble yourself.'

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7. 'Precisely so, my dear sir,' I replied."

Each of the sentences given above, or some part of each sentence, is addressed to some one. When the name of the person addressed, or some word or group of words designating the person, is used in such a sentence, the name, or word, or group of words is said to be the nominative of address. the first sentence "Nell" is such a word.

In

When you read such a sentence you make a pause or a little jog of the voice before and after the nominative of address if it is within the sentence, after it if it is at the beginning of the sentence, and before it if it is at the end of the sentence; therefore commas must be used at these places.

Study the example sentences and determine what words and groups of words are nominatives of address. Explain the punctuation in each case.

146. Write on the blackboard some sentences containing nominatives of address. Be sure to punctuate them correctly.

PUNCTUATION OF YES AND NO

147. Yes and no are words used as answers to questions, and they stand for whole sentences. Thus if you say to one of your friends, "Are you coming to school early to-morrow?" he will answer, "Yes," or perhaps, "No." If we did not have the word yes in our language, your friend would have to reply, "I am coming to school early to-morrow," or perhaps merely "I am." So also with no. Since these words are so important, and stand out so distinctly from the rest of the sentence in which they appear, they are always set off by commas, just as appositives and nominatives of address are set off. The following sentences illustrate the punctuation of all three of these constructions:

Mr. Jones, the principal of our school, said to me. the other day, "George, are n't you studying too hard this year?"